The liner fits between the electrode cap, which sits precisely on a patient’s head over the regions of the brain that dictate movement, and a safety helmet. The electrodes detect brain signals and transmit the message to the exoskeleton.

If the cap moves, the electrodes can miss the correct brain signals.

“It’s important those electrodes stay in place and we also need to protect the patient,” said Alan Rudolph, CSU’s vice president of research and project manager of the Walk Again demonstration.

CSU researchers developed the custom, 3D printed liner and custom parts using scans of the patient’s head and input from the Walk Again research team.

They spent months designing the soft, flexible liner - which is printed from a rubber-like polymer – so it would provide easy access to the electrodes and also could be easily adjusted.

“We designed the liner from scratch using precise 3D scans of the patient and the helmet,” said David Prawel, director of CSU’s public-access Idea-2-Product Laboratory.

The CSU team also developed custom brackets that mount LED sensors on the helmet to provide feedback to the patient on how well he is controlling the exoskeleton.

Rudolph hopes the Walk Again project spawns greater interest in neurotechnology and neuroengineering research at CSU and in the region.

He believes this rapidly growing field aligns with areas of research in which CSU is already strong, including occupational therapy, exercise physiology, neuroscience, biomedical engineering and rehabilitative medicine.

“I look at this as an area where CSU can have a real impact,” Rudolph said.

A video about CSU's role the Walk Again Project is available on YouTube.